Development data hub launches in Uganda

By visiting www.devinit.org/spotlightuganda, users can access data on financial resources flow among local governments, ministries, public institutions and the private sector. It also gives statistics on poverty levels, health, sanitation, water access and other key social indicators.

A comprehensive information tool, the portal, for instance, enables users to track the distribution of financial resources to the lowest level of local government administration under its 'unbundling resources' section. The 'global picture' sections offers statistics on international finances.

Speaking at the launch of the portal at Protea hotel in Kampala on July 2, Dr Abel Rwendeire, vice chair of the National Planning Authority (NPA), said the portal comes in handy not only for policymakers but also for those writing political manifestoes ahead of the 2016 election campaigns.

"Data is important for planning, policy formulation and developing programs; so, making it available to users in this friendly format is a big step towards achieving our Vision 2040," Rwendeire said, in reference to Uganda's ambitious dream to transform into a middle-income country by using ICT as the main tool.

Charles Lwanga Ntale, the Africa regional director for the UK-based Development Initiatives (DI), a non-government organisation spearheading DDH websites, explained that they receive data from official agencies.

This data, normally in portable digital format, is converted into excel sheets, analyzed and finally availed for public consumption in a user-friendly format on the website.

The ministries of finance, health, and water and environment, as well as and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) are among the key partners so far working with the Development Data Hub.

Dr Fred Muhumuza, a development economist, described the hub as a big step forward in simplifying the data not only for policymakers but also for other users to understand the trends in the economy. He said the website can be a useful tool for investors, bankers and consumers of any service in their decision-making.

This comes six months after the UN-sponsored Global Pulse Lab opened an innovation centre in Kampala.

Pulse Lab Kampala brings together government and the UN agencies, the academia and private sector to analyse and share data on new technologies, which promote economic and social development.